Ken Cohen
08-15-2010, 11:23 AM
Hi--
I'm designing a large plate rack for our recently renovated kitchen and am contemplating using 125 year old floorboards from our attic as the source wood. I have several specific questions regarding matching, milling and finishing -- along with an interest in any other helpful advice (including forget about it.)
Quick background on the wood: We've been in the old house about 5 years, and on my first attic visit (ceiling hatch) discovered the attic littered with T&G floorboards removed to insulate the ceiling below. For this project, I could use some of the loose boards and would need to remove 5-6 of the 6-8" x 10' boards. I know I would need to replace them to retain structural stability.
The board characteristics make sense for an 1875 house: machine milled T&G, 125 years of grime, dry as a sponge, very rough on the bottom, cut nails, etc. Clearly secondary wood with defects, softwood. When cut, it smells like pine or fir, but I have no clue as to species (we live in New England).
My Questions:
Do I need to worry about wood matching? Does milling technique influence the match? In particular, will the amount of material removed make a difference?
Pix shows result from two different boards that came out similar, but clearly not matched. Bottom board was lightly hand surfaced planed and quickly finished with clear Watco. Top board was warped and required the works -- 1/8" off top and bottom through jointer/planer (after belt sanding grime, nail check, etc.) followed by same finishing schedule.
Unfinished, the two boards had different characteristics -- bottom board had an even color but gave off an orange-ish sawdust. Top board had distinct yellowish patches on the sides of the board.
My quick experiment makes me worry about going to all this effort to find that the reclaimed wood is too variable to turn into a cohesive work.
Thoughts on prep and finishing
Any thoughts on prep strategy and finishing approach for this situation. I am looking to retain the rough, antique character of the wood -- including the stains, defects, etc. I like the result in the bottom board but am open to alternatives. My bigger concern is getting an approximate match.
For instance, I took no blotching precautions, since the lower board came out so well (unlike the upper board). And, I can't imagine any dryer wood.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions. Glad to provide additional info if that helps.
Ken
I'm designing a large plate rack for our recently renovated kitchen and am contemplating using 125 year old floorboards from our attic as the source wood. I have several specific questions regarding matching, milling and finishing -- along with an interest in any other helpful advice (including forget about it.)
Quick background on the wood: We've been in the old house about 5 years, and on my first attic visit (ceiling hatch) discovered the attic littered with T&G floorboards removed to insulate the ceiling below. For this project, I could use some of the loose boards and would need to remove 5-6 of the 6-8" x 10' boards. I know I would need to replace them to retain structural stability.
The board characteristics make sense for an 1875 house: machine milled T&G, 125 years of grime, dry as a sponge, very rough on the bottom, cut nails, etc. Clearly secondary wood with defects, softwood. When cut, it smells like pine or fir, but I have no clue as to species (we live in New England).
My Questions:
Do I need to worry about wood matching? Does milling technique influence the match? In particular, will the amount of material removed make a difference?
Pix shows result from two different boards that came out similar, but clearly not matched. Bottom board was lightly hand surfaced planed and quickly finished with clear Watco. Top board was warped and required the works -- 1/8" off top and bottom through jointer/planer (after belt sanding grime, nail check, etc.) followed by same finishing schedule.
Unfinished, the two boards had different characteristics -- bottom board had an even color but gave off an orange-ish sawdust. Top board had distinct yellowish patches on the sides of the board.
My quick experiment makes me worry about going to all this effort to find that the reclaimed wood is too variable to turn into a cohesive work.
Thoughts on prep and finishing
Any thoughts on prep strategy and finishing approach for this situation. I am looking to retain the rough, antique character of the wood -- including the stains, defects, etc. I like the result in the bottom board but am open to alternatives. My bigger concern is getting an approximate match.
For instance, I took no blotching precautions, since the lower board came out so well (unlike the upper board). And, I can't imagine any dryer wood.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions. Glad to provide additional info if that helps.
Ken